


Bonding By Instinct

by XanderB



Category: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Explicit Language, Humour, Lemon, Lime, M/M, Oral Sex, Past Relationships, Possible violence, Probably more too..., Rimming, Romance, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 15:51:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4841348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XanderB/pseuds/XanderB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seifer's life has been turned upside down and Squall's is about to be. They say misery loves company and when it comes in the form of a bouncing baby girl, there are no holds barred.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Unexpected

Prologue: Unexpected 

 

Squall was in the middle of sifting through and skimming mission reports from the monstrous pile currently taking up a healthy portion of the low coffee table in his SEED issued apartment quarters. It was late, very late and so it stood to reason that he would be relatively startled when there was a sudden loud pounding on his door, the sound abruptly interrupting the quiet of his quarters. He sat back, tossing the file in his hands back onto the pile before he stood up, stretching muscles that were cramped from being in one position for too long before he made his way to the door. He was slow to press the palm of his right hand to the panel next to the steel door in order to disengage the lock mechanism, fully expecting to meet with the sight of Questis or Nida on the other side of the threshold with some all-important emergency that required his immediate attention.

What he did not, could not have possibly imagined upon opening the door was the sight of one Seifer Almasy, disheveled, exhausted, red-eyed with two obviously heavy bags strapped over one broad shoulder and a screaming, tiny bundle squirming irately in his arms. The brunette commander was dumbstruck.

Squall blinked exactly three times before Seifer spoke in a rushed and desperate sounding tone, “Leonhart, I didn’t know where else to go.” Squall didn’t respond immediately, the incessant wailing of what could only be an infant in Seifer’s arms ringing in his ears and drowning out the words the tall blond had spoken. Before he could stop himself, or even fully consider what he was doing, the commander was reaching for the bundle.

Seifer looked uncertain for only the briefest of moments until his gaze met that of the stoic brunette and Squall demanded, “Give her to me and come inside.” With those words, relief flooded the blond and he allowed Squall to take the crying baby from his hold. Squall immediately curled the child into his chest and began rocking her, making soothing shushing sounds as he cuddled the baby girl close to his chest with shocking ease, as if it was perfectly natural for a trained mercenary commander to exhibit such skills. The brunette turned into his apartment, not bothering to wait for Seifer, fully expecting the larger man to follow him.

As soon as the door slid shut with a hiss of hydraulics behind him, Seifer let the heavy bags slip from his shoulder, dropping them to the floor with a muted thud, running shaking hands through the tousled blond strands of his short hair nervously. Deep green settled on the sight of his long-time rival and one-time enemy humming to his daughter whom was finally quiet and seemingly asleep peacefully in the slim brunette’s hold. 

“Squall… I,” Seifer paused, trying to find the right words to explain his impromptu visit in the middle of the night and he began pacing unconsciously, “I didn’t know where else to go. I never expected, that is, I didn’t know that Rin could die during childbirth. She was so excited, you know, about the baby and everything. I never really thought too much about it, but it was okay, because she was gonna be there. She was supposed to be there. And then she wasn’t. She was just gone and I panicked…”

“How long?” Squall asked as he moved to set the sleeping babe on the sofa, carefully boxing the tiny girl in with the throw pillows Selphie had insisted he have. It was the only question he asked when Seifer had finished his panicked explanation.

The blond seemed to deflate somewhat, his pacing slowing and then halting altogether. “Ah, two weeks,” he answered before his feverish gaze focused on Squall, glassy with what could only be unshed tears, voice wavering dangerously when he continued to speak, “What am I doing Squall? I can’t raise a kid. I wasn’t ever supposed to be a dad. I… I-.”

“Too late,” Squall interjected, moving idly to his kitchen to retrieve two mugs of coffee from a recently brewed pot. Seifer’s brow furrowed at the harsh statement and his mouth opened and closed as though he wanted to argue the reality of it, but Squall was right. It was indeed too late to deny his fatherhood, given that his offspring was currently curled up on Squall’s sofa surrounded by a moat of throw pillows.

The blonde’s broad shoulders slumped dejectedly, absently accepting the steaming mug Squall offered him. He couldn’t understand how the brunette could be so calm, how he had taken the infant and managed to coax her to sleep so easily in a matter of minutes when Seifer himself had been unsuccessful in doing just that for the past two weeks. He’d only gotten sporadic hours of sleep when his daughter had completely exhausted herself crying and more or less passed out. The lack of sleep had left his nerves shot and his mind in a state of unravelled half-thoughts and self-doubt. He couldn’t be a father; that much was clear to him, especially since it was obvious that his daughter hated him and she couldn’t even clearly see him yet.

Squall hummed a sound of acknowledgement, watching Seifer over the rim of his mug as he took a sip of the dark liquid within. “What do you want to do?” he asked after a moment of quiet contemplation, the sound of his voice making Seifer jump slightly, jerking him from his jumbled thoughts abruptly.

It took several long seconds before Seifer could get his mouth to function, “I… I don’t know. How am I supposed to do this?” His voice had lost any semblance of confidence as he practically fell into a kitchen chair, his eyes pleading as he looked at Squall. The brunette inclined his head slightly, taking another silent sip from the steaming mug in his grasp as he leaned a pert rear against his kitchen counter, grey-blue gaze surveying his old rival; he’d never seen the cocky blond look so desperate or so lost before.

“I’ll help,” he said finally after what had felt to Seifer like an eternity. A breath of relief he hadn’t realized he’d been holding left his lips and he relaxed more fully in the kitchen chair. He hadn’t really considered why he’d chosen to seek Squall out when he had steadily been losing himself, but he had come back to Garden because it was the only home he could really recall ever having. He had to suppose that Squall, though a rival for as long as he could remember, was as close to family as Seifer had. He hadn’t expected Squall to offer to help, hell, he hadn’t even expected the commander to let him in, yet he had still somehow instinctively made his way to Garden and subsequently his childhood rival. There was the realization that Seifer had come to Squall because he knew unconsciously that the brunette was the only one he could trust entirely not to judge him and he had blindly trusted in that instinctive knowledge when he’d decided to show up on Squall’s doorstep in the middle of the night with a screaming baby. 

“Thank you,” it was belated, but was the most sincere verbalization of gratitude that Seifer could ever recall making. A sense of calm settled over him, as if the knowledge that Squall was going to assist him erased the stress of the past two weeks. Squall would know what to do.

“What’s her name?” Seifer blinked when the unexpected question came, breaking through his idle thoughts, the brunette not bothering to acknowledge the thanks as though what he had offered to his rival was only natural and required no gratitude.

“Annabelle,” the name rolled from Seifer’s tongue without much thought as his gaze instinctively sought out the sleeping infant in question. 

A soft smile ghosted over Squall’s lips as he watched the tall man seated at his small kitchen table, the unconscious seeking gaze of the blond landing on the sleeping baby not escaping his notice. He would never had imagined Seifer Almasy to be a father, especially at the age of twenty-three, only a few years after he’d been the knight of an evil sorceress, an enemy with a bounty on his head, but it was irrelevant now with the reality of the situation displayed before him in blatant view. 

Squall had been informed that Rinoa had hooked back up with his rival when their relationship had never progressed passed that one-time platonic kiss they’d shared in the depths of space and he had been more or less content hearing of it. In his opinion, Seifer had deserved to be happy; they all did after what they’d seen and done during the sorceress war. He’d missed the cocky blond, had always wished for his return to Balamb, but had never sought him out or tried to coerce him into returning to Garden once he’d heard of his former rival’s reunion with his one-time sorceress. 

Seifer and Rin had seemed happy together and he’d had no right in his mind to take what happiness they’d built away from the couple. He had never expected to hear from either of them again, though Rinoa, being the kind of person she was, had been known to send an email now and again to update her newly acquired friends on her life and of course to get updates on all of them as well. It had been several months since he’d received word from the bubbly sorceress and had simply assumed that she had been too busy living the newlywed lifestyle she’d always dreamed of with her handsome knight. He’d had no idea that she had become pregnant during that time. And now she was dead. Her death was unexpected and left Squall with a bitter taste in his mouth, but at least her life had not been given in vain, but in place of her daughter’s instead. Seifer’s daughter. He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that, but he supposed there would be time later to sort through the mix of emotions the knowledge incited.

“Do you have formula? Diapers? Clothing?” the brunette asked suddenly, pulling himself from his own inner musings and drawing Seifer’s attention once again.

“Uhn, in the blue bag,” Seifer replied distractedly, gesturing with one hand to the bags he’d dropped by the door as his gaze remained transfixed on his sleeping baby. Squall gave a single nod in response though the gesture was entirely lost on the ex-knight and set his coffee mug down on the counter top before he moved to the bags. He picked both up from the floor, eyes widening just the slightest at the unexpected weight of them, but he didn’t say anything as he lifted them. He threw the black duffel onto the made bed in the guest room and plopped the navy blue one on the kitchen table with a loud thump that startled Seifer. The tall blond jerked slightly and turned his head, green eyes settling on the brunette once more. 

He blinked as he watched Squall unzip the bag and begin sifting through its contents, pulling out several items. Squall could feel the eyes on him and it made his skin burn. “Why don’t you go take a shower while I feed, change, and redress Annabelle? Then we can all get some rest,” he suggested, hoping to give the blond a distraction as he began preparing a bottle of formula with meticulous precision. When Seifer hesitated, unmoving from his seated position, Squall gave him a pointed look, stormy eyes narrowing in demand. It hadn’t been a real question, but a command disguised in the form of inquiry instead. Seifer grumbled as he got up, making his way to Squall’s bathroom without directions, unable to argue with the commander. He’d almost missed the taciturn brunette’s glares and couldn’t stop a small smile from upturning the corner of his lips as he closed the bathroom door behind himself, leaving his daughter alone with the other man. 

Several long moments later, Squall heard the water start up and heaved a sigh, giving his head a little shake before moving to retrieve the sleeping infant from the sofa. He easily coaxed her into sucking from the warm bottle, still half-asleep in his hold. He hummed and swayed quietly as Annabelle ate, easily losing himself in the calm of the moment.

Once finished the formula, he burped her before setting her out on his kitchen table to change her diaper and clothing. Her tiny face scrunched as the cooler air hit her naked skin and he winced when she began to cry. He changed her and dressed her as quickly as possible, the red face, fresh tears and keening wail tearing at him.

When she was fed, clean, and redressed, he swaddled her in a warm blanket and picked her up once again, holding her close against his chest and carefully placing her head against the steady beat of his heart as he began humming and swaying again. The warmth, sound, and motion easily lulled the distraught baby back to sleep, but he continued on even after he was sure she was soundly slumbering once more. 

Finished his shower, Seifer held his clothing in a balled up clump against his chest, a dark towel secured around his waist as he exited the bathroom. He stopped dead when he entered the main living area of Squall’s apartment, wide green eyes immediately focused on the sight of his former rival humming and swaying, eyes closed with the tiny bundle that was Seifer’s daughter held tightly against his chest. The tall blond leaned against the wall and simply watched the surreal scene silently. Squall looked natural like that, totally comfortable with a baby in his arms and it reminded Seifer of his own shortcomings. Squall would make a wonderful father, of that Seifer was sure, and yet, he wasn’t the one with a baby to raise. 

Seifer frowned. Squall even looked happy with an infant nestled in his arms. Somehow, the picture before him seemed right, fit in a way Seifer was certain he would never be able to achieve himself. How was it possible that a person that was so known for being ice could present such a beautifully natural picture, so warm and inviting? It wasn’t fair and yet Seifer was relieved to realize that he had made the right choice in coming to Squall for help. The brunette had been the perfect person for the situation.

“Go get some sleep Seifer. I’ll keep care of her until morning,” Seifer nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of Squall’s voice, even hushed as it was. The brunette’s eyes were still closed and he wasn’t even facing Seifer’s direction. The blond shook his head; he didn’t think he’d ever understand how Squall could do that, see without seeing at all.

His unoccupied hand scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly as Seifer shifted, straightening from his leaning position, “I can’t ask you to do that.” It was an attempt to argue, instinctively voiced in response to the embarrassment he could feel crawling beneath his skin, acutely aware of his inadequacies as a father.

“You didn’t. I’m offering. You’re obviously in need of a good night’s sleep, so take the offer and stop trying to be stubborn. Go to bed and everything will seem better in the morning,” Squall’s tone was still quiet, but left no room for further argument.

Seifer sighed huffily, but moved to the spare room where his black duffel was waiting on the bed. He closed the door behind himself before dropping both his dirty clothing and his towel to the floor. He rifled through the bag briefly before finding what he was looking for, dressing quickly in a pair of loose sweat pants, not bothering to search for a shirt or underwear for the moment. 

When he emerged from the guest room, Squall was already gone from the kitchen. It took only the briefest of moment’s for Seifer to locate the missing brunette and his baby girl. He swallowed hard as he watched his former rival strip from the doorway to Squall’s bedroom. His throat was dry as jade eyes followed the movement of clothing being removed with a subtle grace, revealing pale, supple flesh, smooth and soft looking, the colour of milk, contrasting beautifully with the dark chocolate of spider web fine hair. Squall was beautiful, breathtakingly so and Seifer had a hard time placing the realization now that it had been presented to him so abruptly. How had he not noticed before?  
The tall blond gave himself a mental kick as Squall pulled on a grey short-sleeved shirt and slipped into a pair of light grey plaid pajama pants, all the while seeming unaware of the green-eyed gaze upon him as he moved to crawl ever so carefully into the bed next to Seifer’s sleeping daughter.

Seifer bit his lip unconsciously as he stood stock still in the doorway, staring after his former rival. Everything seemed to come so easily to Squall and for that Seifer envied him ferociously, though he was also glad for it. He moved to turn away from the sight as Squall turned off the reading lamp beside him, but paused when he heard that hushed voice once more, “Goodnight Seifer.”

The broad blond could feel his blush burning all the way to his ears. Squall had known he was there the whole time, had clearly felt his staring. He couldn’t say anything in response, unable to trust in his own voice as he turned tail and escaped into the guest room, consumed with questions about himself and his former rival that there were no simple answers to.

 

TBC…


	2. Chapter One: Morning Calls

Chapter One: Morning Calls

 

Seifer was slow to wake in the morning. Handsome features scrunched much like his daughter’s as the unhappy sound of said daughter reached him, prying him from his sleep with annoying ease. Forest eyes blinked open, focusing slowly as his brain began processing the sounds that had initially woken him. He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, rubbing hard before long fingers threaded back through his hair and he groaned roughly. He’d almost been able to forget his current situation, almost allowed himself to believe that the stress of being a sudden single parent and losing his would be sorceress and wife had all been a nasty dream.

Reality crashed over him in harsh waves with every keening whimper that filtered through the closed door of his borrowed room. Seifer took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly, attempting to gather his wits before he released the heavy breath and forced himself to roll out of the much too comfortable bed. He felt almost human now that he had managed to catch up on some of the much needed rest he’d been deprived of during the previous two weeks, at least physically. His mind was less fuzzy than it had been, thoughts no longer half built and jumbled in a tangled mess, but the tenseness in him was still present. 

He padded barefoot from the spare room, scratching his toned stomach idly as he made his way out into the kitchen. He blinked several times, uncertain of what he was seeing exactly, barely managing to stifle an unexpected chuckle when the sight before him finally sunk in. There was Squall Leonhart, saviour of the world, righteous commander of the most prestigious Garden in all of Gaia, sleeves rolled up to his elbows attempting to bathe a complaining baby girl in his kitchen sink. The brunette’s shirt was soaked down the front, small clumps of soapy suds clinging to delicate chocolate strands of hair which were hanging in Squall’s face haphazardly. Seifer tried very hard to keep the grin from forming on his lips, he really did.

He wasn’t sure how Squall had ended up in such a state while bathing a baby that could not have weighed more than six or seven pounds maximum, that is until said baby flailed suddenly within the confines of the small sink, kicking her legs and waving small, chubby arms excitedly while making a loud sound somewhere between a squeal of delight and a squawk of displeasure. The intense motions sent another splash of warm water over the side of the sink to soak Squall’s front anew. Squall made a frustrated sound and a frown of concentration took up residence between cinnamon brows, attempting to continue bathing the child even as she squirmed and squealed uncontrollably. Seifer did laugh then, unable to keep the chuckle at bay any longer. The image before him was just too unexpected and entirely too cute.

Squall sent a vicious glare over his shoulder, though it did not have the desired effect given the splatter of suds stuck on one pale cheekbone. He said something under his breath which sounded suspiciously like a curse when Annabelle let out a particularly loud squawk and kicked her legs, successfully sending yet another gush of warm water over Squall’s chest and stomach. He had already turned his attention back to the slippery baby girl, choosing to simply ignore her father in lieu of finishing her bath with what water was left in the sink. 

Seifer shook his head, roguish grin still playing over his face as he moved to pour himself a mug of coffee from the half-emptied pot. He wasn’t surprised the pot was already half gone. He should have known that Squall would have been up for hours already. He stepped up next to the brunette, keeping just enough distance between them to remain out of the way of any wayward splashes of water. He leaned against the counter casually as he continued to watch the scene until Squall was satisfied that the infant was completely clean. The brunette swaddled her in a fuzzy towel and turned towards Seifer, lips pursed in irritation. 

“Take your spawn so that I can go change my shirt,” he demanded, offering the squirming bundle to the taller man with a scowl that was nowhere near as intimidating as he was clearly hoping it to be. It didn’t reach his eyes and it made clear to Seifer that despite his words and expression, Squall wasn’t at all as displeased as he was pretending to be. 

Seifer set his mug down and took the baby from Squall’s hold, which was all well and good until Annabelle realized that the hold was different than previously and began to wail in earnest. Having successfully transferred the infant to Seifer’s arms, Squall had already retreated to his room in order to replace his wet shirt with a fresh, dry one, returning moments later changed and free of suds. Seifer was holding his screaming daughter awkwardly, grimacing at the sounds coming from her, his eyes closed, obviously uncomfortable and uncertain as to what to do to get Annabelle to quiet down. 

“She hates me,” Seifer said, hurt and disappointment evident in the tone of his voice as he spoke, upset green eyes meeting Squall’s gaze as the brunette approached.

Squall shook his head, warmth seeping into his grey-blue eyes as he watched Seifer. “She doesn’t. You’re tense and it’s making her nervous. Hold her more firmly and rest her head against your heart,” he instructed, moving to carefully help adjust the bawling infant in Seifer’s hold. He could feel the tenseness in Seifer’s muscles and heaved a sigh, “Relax Seifer.”

Seifer scoffed in annoyance, “How am I supposed to relax? I’m used to holding Hyperion, not some tiny little human obviously trying to drive me deaf. And she’s a hell of a lot more fragile than Hyperion.”

Squall snorted quietly, “What difference is there? Certainly she’s lighter than Hyperion and she squirms, but isn’t she just as precious? You’re not going to hurt her Seifer. You couldn’t, I promise.”

Seifer looked uncertain, agitated by his own insecurity, but Squall’s words struck a chord in him. Yes, his blade was precious, was like a part of him, yet when he thought of it like that, he realized that Annabelle actually was a part of him. She shared his blood, was a living, breathing piece of him, unlike the unforgiving steel he’d come to love. He’d mastered the gunblade, the most difficult of blades to master in fact and he would master fatherhood too… With Squall’s help, just like with Hyperion. 

The sudden hush startled Seifer and he looked to his former rival with wide green eyes, fear glimmering in the depths, afraid that maybe he’d held her too tight or something, broken her somehow. Squall was smiling. Squall Leonhart was smiling which was almost as startling to Seifer as the quiet infant in his hold. The soft curl of bowed lips made Seifer’s heart skip a beat and reassured every uncertainty he’d had moments before. That single smile made all of it okay.

Seifer found himself smiling as well, a look of almost awe taking over the handsome aristocratic features of his face. Squall’s hand squeezed his left shoulder encouragingly before the brunette was moving away once more, setting out baby lotion, powder, a fresh diaper, and a warm sleeper on the table. Once he’d finished, he looked at Seifer expectantly. The blond didn’t even notice, his forest gaze now completely focused on his baby who was waving a tiny fist in the air as she stared back at him with matching wide green eyes. It was endearing. 

Seifer would be a good father, Squall knew; the blond was just insecure, afraid of failing, especially because a failure at something so heavy would not only affect him. It wasn’t like failing a SEED exam. There weren’t any do-overs.

Squall considered his former rival for several moments while Seifer swayed unconsciously, soft cooing sounds escaping from him as he looked down at his baby. He didn’t really wonder why Seifer had chosen him. It was something the blond had done many times over the years. Whenever Seifer had felt insecure, he had sought Squall out. Though, he had rarely spoken in a friendly manner during those times, assumedly because of immaturity and the rivalry they were so known for then, but it had become habit none-the-less and Squall understood it. The situation was different, time and experience had changed them and so Seifer had instinctively sought Squall out when he was being consumed by his insecurities as he always had in the past, but the previous antagonism and animosity had been outgrown. 

Squall released an inaudible sigh, pulling himself from his musings, afraid to consider the differences too closely, lest he begin to hope for something he’d long since given up on. “Seifer,” he called quietly, drawing the taller man’s attention. When Seifer looked at him, the brunette simply gestured at the items he had set out on the surface of the kitchen table. The glint of fear sparked in emerald depths again, but Seifer didn’t back off, instead moving to carefully place his baby girl in the open space between the arrays of baby things. Annabelle scrunched her face in displeasure, but didn’t do more than grunt and make faces as Seifer applied lotion, powdered, and dressed her with only minor difficulty before he picked her up once more. 

Shortly thereafter, the sleeping infant was safely tucked into Squall’s bed, walled in by pillows and nestled in a warm swaddling blanket. Seifer watched her for several long minutes, ghosting fingertips over the dark fuzz atop her head before he finally tore himself away and half closing the door, returned to the open living area.

He flopped onto the sofa with a heavy sigh. He leaned his head onto the back of the couch, closing his eyes briefly before reopening them only to focus on his brunette host sipping a mug of coffee quietly at the counter. 

“How come you know all this stuff anyway? Were you a girl in a past life or something?”

Squall’s grey-blue eyes shifted, meeting Seifer’s, narrowing slightly at the teasing comment tacked onto the end of the true question the blond was asking. “Or something… But actually, I know because of all those girly classes I took when we were still cadets. You know, the ones you refused to take because it threatened your masculinity. Those home economics classes were much more educational and practically informative than you would have thought. It wasn’t all about making brownies and decorating with doilies,” he replied belatedly, lips quirking up slightly. 

“Shit Leonhart, you always were the more practical type out of the two of us. Better safe than sorry and all that. I never thought I would need to know this kind of stuff. Never thought I’d be a dad either. Guess I was wrong on both counts, huh?” the blond said idly, running the fingers of his right hand through his golden hair, “Hn, never thought I’d be admitting that you were right about those classes either. I really should have taken them back then.” 

“You couldn’t have known things would turn out this way. Don’t dwell on it too much. You never did like to plan practically for the future, always chasing the present and forgetting about the consequences it might have on tomorrow. It was always a part of your charm,” Squall’s voice wasn’t chiding, but warm with what could only be affection underlying the tone, “So what do you want to do now that you’re here?” 

Seifer pursed his lips, apparently thinking. His mind stuck on what Squall had said. Squall thought his ‘devil may care’ attitude was charming? That was an interesting development to say the least. The stoic brunette had never let on something like that before. It took several seconds for him to realize that Squall had actually asked him a question and was watching him, waiting for the answer expectantly. “Uh, I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far ahead,” he started, a lopsided grin playing at his mouth as he realized he was proving Squall’s words correct, “I guess, I’ll reenroll if I can. What’s the protocol for SEEDs with kids?”

Squall stifled a quiet chuckle behind his coffee mug. The answer Seifer had given him was exactly as he’d been expecting. He leaned back against the counter, holding the warm mug in his hands and regarding his former rival with interest as he considered Seifer’s reply more carefully. 

“There isn’t one that I know of,” the brunette said after a moment, “But that’s the beauty of being the commander and acting headmaster of Garden; I can make protocol or break it.” There was a definite glint of mischievous amusement in Squall’s stormy eyes as he looked at Seifer, the hint of a smile flickering over his lips. 

“’S that so? So you’ll accept my application for reenrolling then?”

Squall raised one cinnamon brow, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth as he considered whether or not he should tell Seifer the truth or simply act as though he was actually considering having the other give an application. “No need. You’ve been on inactive duty as a fully-fledged SEED ever since the end of the war.”

Seifer’s brows rose instantly upon hearing Squall’s response, curiosity spurring his immediate answer, “Whose idea was that? And why?” He had always assumed that though it had never been voiced, he was better off staying away from his old home and it had been made easier to start a new life away from Garden once he’d had Rinoa with him. It had been a little odd, but so good at the same time and he’d actually begun to think it would work, that he could be happy, that he could and would be her knight, that she would make his dreams a reality, but that had been blown all to hell when she’d died, leaving him with a baby in her stead. 

“Mine actually. I wanted to make sure that you’d always have a place here, just in case you ever wanted to come back,” Squall wasn’t looking at him when he responded, a light pink colouring the normally pale cheeks as he spoke. Seifer had to sit up and turn more fully towards Squall to get a better look. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought that the brunette was blushing and his tone seemed almost shy.

Feeling Seifer’s eyes on him, Squall turned towards the sink, distancing himself from what he was feeling, from what he knew was going to lead him nowhere. Seifer was entirely heterosexual and had just lost his would be wife, the mother of his newborn baby that was sleeping only feet away in Squall’s bed. Seifer belonged to Rinoa and there was no place for Squall, even though Rin was gone now. He gave himself a mental shake, hating his own insecurities as they began to crawl under his skin, ashamed by his inability to lock away the complicated emotions that being around Seifer incited in him. The brunette took an excessive amount of time washing and rinsing his coffee mug before he released an inaudible sigh and closed his eyes for several seconds, collecting himself and forcing the mix of feelings to settle within him. 

“You can stay here for now until other arrangements can be made. It’ll take some time to convert another dorm into a suitable apartment for you and Annabelle. As for what you’ll do here, it’s up to you, I guess. We can always use a gunblade instructor. I don’t have the time to do it myself, especially with the influx of interested students looking to master it. It might be the best course of action for right now since you have a baby, but you have some time to think about it,” Squall said, changing the subject as smoothly as he could manage, making the offer to accommodate Seifer and his infant daughter for the time being and slipping into safer topics directly after. 

“Hm, yeah sure, that sounds good. Never considered teaching brats before. Might be fun though,” was Seifer’s somewhat distracted reply. He was still trying to work through Squall’s odd behaviour. He wasn’t sure if he was reading the brunette’s signals right. It was as if Squall was being shy, like he was speaking to his schoolboy crush, but that couldn’t be right. Squall was, well Squall and Seifer had never known his childhood rival to be shy, at least not since they had first met at the orphanage as brats and certainly not any time that he could recall in recent years. Not only could he not remember Squall as shy, but he had been entirely certain that the chilly brunette was entirely asexual, frigid assumedly and certainly not able to develop a crush of any sort. But Seifer was fairly accurate in identifying these sorts of things, having been the target of many a young lady and he was sure a few men as well throughout the years after first reaching puberty. The signals he was picking up were entirely mixed, but he was almost certain that interest was among them, right on the forefront with what he could only assume was shame. He wasn’t sure what to make of it. 

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have had this chapter written for a long while, but had originally wanted to make it longer, but alas, I simply couldn’t get any more out of me for this particular scene. Sorry for the relative shortness of it, but there will hopefully be more to follow soon enough and assumedly longer chapters as well. Hope you enjoyed the read. Thanks a million for reviews. I do so love the feedback.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I love the idea of the boys raising kids together. Let me know what you think. I do love feedback. As you could probably tell, the chapters are unbeta'd. I will edit them eventually, probably...


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